Are We Lving in the Matrix? [Oxford Prof Says There's 20% Chance We're All Living in a Computer]

Wireless Flash News Service ^ | May 13, 2003 | wire report

[ewing]

A Philosophy Professor who teaches at Oxford says there is roughly a 20 percent chance that most humans today are really software created beings living in a virtual reality.

Dr. Nick Bostrum says there is a good chance technology can mature to the point where life like simulation programs are regularly run.

If that is the case there is no way of knowing whether right now youre currently living in real history or a simulation of the year 2003.

However, he says it is equally likely that humans will become extinct before then can develop such advanced computer simulations or lose their interest in simulations entirely.

Bostrom's arguement appears in his new book 'Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and Religion in the Matrix.'

[Prodigal Son]

Thanks for taking the time for that ;-)

It helps with a current literary project.

[A Navy Vet]

"I thought that Algore was almost our first virtual president. He is artificial, right?"

Did you not realize that Algore is short for algorithm?

[LibWhacker]

Well, if so, what with these liberals all around, it's gotta be a simulation of Hell.

[Publius]

Timothy Leary asked that same question.

So did Philip K. Dick: VALIS

[JSteff]

LOL! Well stated, but that would be a paradise, not a computer program.

[Mr. Mojo]

The only PKD fiction I've read is The Man in the High Castle. Is VALIS any good?

I read a book of his essays once, and I remember he had a very original take on dimensions and the after death state. I forgot the specifics, but it was very entertaining reading.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Well, a philosophy professor who teaches at Oxford says there's roughly a 20 percent chance that most humans today really are software-generated beings living in a virtual reality.

Or we could say that 20% percent of today's population is software-generated beings living in a virtual reality, called Liberals.

[The_Reader_David]

A priori probability estimates are always silly. That being said, I think the idea is that he is providing an a priori probability estimate for our reality actually being virtual and (to put it in terms of The Matrix) most 'human beings' being Agents.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Take the blue pill. Ignorance is bliss.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Dang! He looks like he could be an Agent!

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

What about the rest of the humans, where are they? (Is he one of them?)

They're being harvested for energy, of course! :-)

[Thumper1960]

If that's true.....are Demoncrats the virus? Is Maddy Albright a "bug"? Is George W. the "Terminator"?

[Thumper1960]

"I never have been so insulted in my life….. I’m a mainframe app… just ask the women ;> "

Oh? What about the floppy drive comments?

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Decimal = 9 x 6 = 54
Binary = 1001 x 110 = 110110
Octal = 11 x 6 = 66
Hexadecimal = 9 x 6 = 36

That's all I need to know. :-)

[Tunehead54]

"Page Up" = tax cuts.

---

Its not working! My 10K check to the IRS still lists as "cleared". Do I need to reboot?

[Dr. Frank fan]

A priori probability estimates are always silly. That being said, I think the idea is that he is providing an a priori probability estimate for our reality actually being virtual

it's not the fact that he was providing a probability estimate what gave me a chuckle, it's the fact that the author of the article felt the need to remind us that it was ONLY an estimate. :-)

and (to put it in terms of The Matrix) most 'human beings' being Agents.

Actually, you got it flipped around, in the Matrix, "most" human beings aren't Agents, they're Coppertops. The remaining few either live in "Zion" or fly around in Morpheus's hovercraft. Yeah, ok, now it all makes sense ;-)

[BlueDragon]

To all:
If current atomic physics is correct,
in that there actually is very little mass in
the "area" or "space" that an atom, with it's related electrons occupies (think astro-physics scale, at the same time???) compared with the size of the space "occupied"...
Protons comprising the nucleus being miniscule, electons very much more so...
And...
E=mc2??? then
that's a lot of kinda "frozen" energy, whot?

It only SEEMS real. It's just a construct...
and if there is a KNOWing behind all of this, a Source for all this energy...

[ewing]

I might tend to agree with you there..

[ewing]

Is Hillary one of the main agents?

[Pablo64]

LOL! Thanks. My wife and I weren't sure if our kids should watch that movie with us, but we decided that we both generally like Mel, and if they started to get too scared they could go play games in their room. Scenes like that one helped keep it to a minimum and brought some light-hearted tension relief.

I think that shot from the movie is destined to become a classic on this forum. It's almost is enough to motivate me to learn how to post pics, but righ now I'm still trying to figure out how to capture shots from my DVD's on my computer. I have a DVD drive and can watch them, and I'm fairly cetain that the software that controls watching them has the capability, but I just haven't figured it out yet. My wife says I should try reading the help files, but what does she know??LOL!